In May 2026, Action on Armed Violence recorded 3,965 deaths and injuries from 603 incidents of explosive violence around the world, as reported in English-language media. Civilians accounted for 89% (3,532) of the deaths and injuries recorded.
Two child-made paper aeroplanes folded from the British and American flags rest side by side on a school desk, suggesting a shared journey whose consequences lie beyond the innocence of the gesture.
Here AOAV presents an analysis of how Israel’s strategy of repeated “precision” military operations in Gaza produced short-term tactical successes but has failed to address long-term political instability leading, in the end, to strategic failure.
In April 2026, Action on Armed Violence recorded 5,231 deaths and injuries from 600 incidents of explosive violence around the world, as reported in English-language media. Civilians accounted for 95% (4,949) of the deaths and injuries recorded.
In 2025, AOAV recorded 49,814 deaths and injuries as a result of the use of explosive weapons around the world, the second-highest levels recorded since 2010. With 45,362 civilians among these casualties – 91% of all those reported killed or wounded by explosive weapons globally – 2025 was the second most injurious year for civilians since the EVMP began. 39% (17,614) of these civilians were reported killed.
Jiashu Hu’s satellite-based analysis shows that Khartoum has experienced sustained urban collapse during Sudan’s civil war, with sharp declines in economic activity, visible structural damage and concentrated civilian harm aligning across multiple independent data sources.
South Korea’s Lee Jae Myung has reignited scrutiny of Israeli military conduct by highlighting alleged abuses, with Action on Armed Violence arguing the incident reflects a longstanding pattern of weak accountability in Israeli investigations.
In March 2026, Action on Armed Violence recorded 7,207 deaths and injuries from 795 incidents of explosive violence around the world, as reported in English-language media. Civilians accounted for 89% (6,401) of the deaths and injuries recorded.
AOAV data show that the US-led war against Iran has inflicted a rapid and devastating toll on children, with at least 212 killed largely due to systemic human and intelligence failures exemplified by the catastrophic Minab school strike.
Here AOAV contends that the UK, in coordination with Israeli legal actors, has developed a legal and diplomatic framework that limits the risk of war crimes accountability for Israeli officials and associated personnel on British soil.
Sudan has become one of the world’s deadliest conflicts for civilians. Across towns and cities, high numbers of civilians have been killed or injured by explosive weapons. This article analyses data from Action on Armed Violence on casualties caused by explosive violence in Sudan, focusing on the sharp escalation in the use of explosive weapons in populated areas since the conflict began, producing high civilian casualty rates per incident of use.
The MoD’s 2022 leak of data on about 18,700 Afghans who assisted UK forces exposed grave failures in data security, secrecy, and accountability, causing severe human harm, political fallout, financial irregularities, and lasting damage to Britain’s credibility. This report details just how this came about.